The present invention relates to an embroidery data display unit for displaying an embroidery pattern corresponding to embroidery data and an embroidery sewing machine provided with the embroidery data display unit.
Embroidery data is constituted as described below when the data is one-needle data. Sewing data 91 serving as the embroidery data illustrated in FIG. 11 is constituted by arranging a plurality of needle-fall-point data 93 storing the coordinates of needle fall points (needle fall positions) on a working fabric and provided with color change codes 95 for indicating change of needle bars at places. Moreover, an end code 97 showing the end of data is added to the end of the sewing data 91. An embroidery sewing machine, on receiving the above sewing data 91, moves a working fabric to bring a point on the working fabric, which is designated by the needle-fall-point data 93, under a needle bar to successively form a stitch. Moreover, when a color change code 95 is detected, the sewing machine exchanges needle bars for forming a stitch in accordance with a predetermined order to change thread colors.
Conventionally, the embroidery data is saved in a floppy disk or the like so that the data can be easily transferred to the sewing machine. In such a case, conventionally, a sheet of paper showing an embroidery pattern corresponding to the embroidery data saved in the floppy disk and a sheet of paper showing a thread-color change order for sewing the embroidery pattern are attached to the floppy disk. Further, an indication as shown in FIG. 12 is displayed on a display unit of an embroidery sewing machine body when the embroidery data is used. That is, the displayed indication shows only the needle bar change order in the embroidery sewing machine.
Moreover, the relation between each needle bar and the color of a thread to be sewed by the needle bar can be changed in each embroidery sewing machine. Therefore, in the case of a conventional embroidery sewing machine, it is necessary to confirm that a thread color for each needle bar corresponds to the settings used in the embroidery data, and set a needle bar change order so that the thread color is changed in accordance with the order indicated in the sheet of paper associated with the embroidery data. As above, setting of a needle bar change sequence is a complex operation requiring skill. Moreover, because a conventional embroidery sewing machine has only the indication as shown in FIG. 12, when a thread with a color that is different from a thread color shown in the above sheet of paper is used, it is impossible to know, in advance, the color arrangement of an embroidery pattern which would be formed with the threads having different colors.